I had a couple of moments not long ago (rear qr came loose leading me to slow down and nearly go over the bars on Jacob's Ladder followed by a big OTB at Dalby a couple of weeks later) and I've just lost all my confidence. I used to be happy flying over the loose rocks on something like Blackley Hey, I went out yesterday and I was braking all the way down.
Has anyone else done anything similar? Any tips for getting over it? My plan is to just try and build it up again, but I think going slowly is actually more scary than going quick!
Natural reaction. Going slowly probably isn't more dangerous on its own, but if you're braking heavily, feeling tense and hesitant then I'd say that is. Try going a bit slower to build your confidence back up and concentrate on being smooth and off the brakes.
I had this about a year or so ago now following a crash where I broke my arm in two places. For quite a while once I got back on the bike I was pretty nervous on most stuff I used to just ride without even thinking about it. In the end I just did very similar to what Steve mentions above but it took a bit of time and patience. I wouldn't say I'm as confident as I used to be but I'm quicker than I was when I got back on the bike and I've learned how to work the bike better over tricky stuff and I'm not as quick to drag on the brakes either.
I had a couple of bad crashes in the space of a week a few years ago and totally lost al my confidence. Took me a good couple of years to get it back. I found riding with better riders helped. Following them as much as possible my brain was seeing what they were doing and the lines they were taking.
Good luck, it will come back.
Yep done this many times where I've had a bad crash and seriously hurt my self.
I try to take small steps. Go back to riding easier terrain that you feel comfortable on or go for an easy ride where there is no ego and you are just chilling out on the bike and a have few nice fun rides. Then take small steps to ramp up the difficulty until eventually and almost accidentally you have gone past the standard you where at previous to the crash. The key is to take small steps and leave your self wanting more. Don't push your self too hard, this way you always end on a high and with high levels of confidence. Its better to take 2 small steps forward rather than 2 big steps forward and one big step back. You end up in the same place but one ends on high the other ends on a down. This will effect your mood the next time you are out on the bike.
I'm a very analytical person so for me anyway I also need to understand why I crashed which is usually bad technique. Once I understand what I did wrong and what the correct technique is, I usually feel better about riding that section of trail again as I know I won't repeat the same mistakes again.
Thanks all (and apologies for the slow reply. New job = very busy). I actually bailed on a Peak ride today 'cos I was feeling physically sick at the thought of it - I think I need to go on some easier rides and build my confidence up a bit.
Same boat today OP after crash last weekend, Just spent a few minutes watching training videos on how to ride steep loose corners. I bottle quite a few steep bits today and feel crap as a result. So sympathies!
At low point today, even considered getting road bike out today
I think when your Mountain bike riding gets to a certain standard, one can leave oneself open to feeling the "failures" a bit more.
I mean, when i started to ride a mountain bike, on proper terrain, just getting though any particular piece of terrain was a challange, so speed or flow didn't matter, all that mattered was getting to the other end.
Now, where i'm at the point where i can ride a lot of stuff without actively having to think about it, if i "loose" my flow, or mess up some technique, not only are the consequences probably more serious, but i find i get more annoyed with myself for messing it up.
At the moment, i'm trying to focus on particular bits of technique on individual rides, so i will say do lot of manuals on the trails today, in an attempt to get better at them, then tomorrow i'll focus on bunny hopping or whatever. But after a while, the pressure of wanting / having to see improvements starts to mount.
At this point, i find just going for a blast in the woods with my mates, without any plan, any pressure to try new stuff, literally, just riding my bike in the woods helps to lift the pressures off.
Do that a few times, and suddenly you'll realise you're back up to speed without even noticing it. (If you are a Strava-ist, i suggest you leave it at home occasionally, and just ride your bike for a similar feeling of freedom 😉
^ that I think is very true.
Last week ~ first time riding an area without company and no real knowledge of the wider area, a fair way from home and no plan, in the evening and a bellyful of corporate catering.
I stuck to wider tracks, followed some nice wide ridgeline bridleways and hunted down the easy miles and big views.
Lovely ride and really refreshing to have zero pressure on tech, timing or pace. I managed 17miles and 1100 feet of climbing without thinking about it in just a couple of hours.
I've been pushing myself more and more this year and take a similar approach to what [i]maxtorque[/i] talked about. Confidence is knowing that you have the ability to allow a good outcome and a big part of that is trusting yourself.
Rather than focus on a specific technique, like maxtorque, I have wee mental cues which remind me about what to do: look where you want to go, not where your front wheel is; stand tall on the bike and give it room to move; feet firm on the pedals, heels down; heavy feet, soft hands; keep off the brakes for better traction. Every now and again I remind myself of those when I'm riding but it's gotten to the point where it's mostly automatic and natural.
When you are riding good you start riding light, less bike , less protection etc
So when you take a knock you need to ride heavier until you get your mojo back
ride a full face or some body armour, stick to trails you know how to shred
Had a silly off 2 years ago, i havent been that same rider since then.. There are rare days that i ride tense and cut my ride short instead.. I become boring but a bit smarter rider now i guess, only time i let loose is when i wear dark sunglasses and the day suddenly becomes dark and cloudy and can only see half of what the terrain actually looks like.
Goodluck OP hope you get your mojo back
From bitter experience it just takes a bit of time and two things happen
1. you will crash again its inevitable
2. you may chose to not ride certain things as a result of 1.
I tend to avoid things with a high risk and a high penalty for failure as I am old and dont heal quickly
I tend to avoid steps/ very steep and very rocky as most of my bad crashes have been OTB on similar.
I know what I can ride and what will make me tense up so I chose what to ride and what to walk. It also depends whether I am solo and far from help as to what i do.